Jays are still committed to reducing our environmental impact as a transport business. Last year, we opened a new site in Avonmouth – https://jaystransport.co.uk/jays-avonmouth-opens-its-doors/ – so our responsibility has increased, as we now have a smaller fleet operating in the Bristol area too.
This is Jays second trial of an electric vehicle, with our first being back in 2023 – https://jaystransport.co.uk/etech-18t-trial/
The vehicle, which was trialled in Bristol for our Avonmouth operation servicing our UPN customers, was the FUSO eCanter 7.49T. Offering a payload of 2 Tonne (2000 Kgs) and with an unladen weight of 5.5 Tonne (5500 Kgs). The model had 3 batteries powering it, weighing around 750 Kgs each, thus reducing the payload compared to a diesel counterpart, but did offer a 1 Tonne (1000 Kgs) payload tail lift.
James Brannigan was the lucky driver who was using the vehicle for the trial – A smart, quick and nimble truck – It handles very well with a spacious the rear load area. It was excellent for the centre of Bristol for both business and private address deliveries. The range wasn’t too much of an issue with the truck operating in the centre of Bristol but at distance or on the motorway the batteries drain quickly. The downside was the payload – it is inefficient for the UPN operation and volume of deliveries we have to accommodate.
The range in theory is around 200 Kms. The team reported daily averages between 100-126 miles on a full charge, but in a previous trial with another customer, it was reported doing about 100 miles for its daily average. The range has many variables that will affect the maximum running distance; weather, geographical area that the vehicle is going to, the payload and the use of the tai lift. On the motorway the driving range is reduced, as it is hard to regenerate electric. The vehicle is an ideal city centre operator as it regenerates when the brakes are used, or if the driver takes their foot off the accelerator.
The vehicle was trialled for 2 weeks in March 2025, covering deliveries and collections in and around Bristol.
Molly White – Avonmouth Operations Manager – It was great that City West Commercials gave us the opportunity to run the vehicle on a trial. With our Avonmouth operation servicing Bristol and the surrounding areas the vehicle was planned and utilised for the centre – covering a mix of B2B and B2C deliveries. Outside of the centre it was problematic when looking to achieve multiple runs as we were getting around 100 miles on the overnight charge, so unless the truck was planned for the city centre it hindered us somewhat, operationally. This was the same also for heavier pallets as the payload was reduced compared to our diesel 7.5T.
Similar to the 18T E – Tech – cost and practicality are key factors if and when considering a vehicle of this nature. Further discussions and analysis are required to see if an electric commercial vehicle / vehicles, would be viable for the Jays transport operation.
Jays are currently running a host of other sustainability initiatives across both of our sites – https://jaystransport.co.uk/sustainability-initiatives/
The Jays Transport Team
